Be a Light--Serve Others

"Behold, I am he who was prepared from the foundation of the world to redeem my people.  Behold, I am Jesus Christ.  I am the Father and the Son.  In me shall all mankind have life, and that eternally, even they who shall believe on my name; and they shall become my sons and my daughters."  Ether 3:14

A sunbeam, a sunbeam, I'll be a sunbeam for Him.  This is a strange photo I took trying to capture two sunflowers running up the street yesterday.  They were really cute, but I cannot figure out what happened on this shot.  Maybe they were aliens.  This is proof they weren't figments of my imagination.

It seems appropriate for the Sabbath Day that mostly everything that was taught at Church focused on serving others.  I have a touching story to pass on that was told by the nice people (previous bishop's family) who had us for tea this afternoon.

A few years ago, a member of the Church visited England.  She found out, after talking to the bishop's wife (Sister M.), that their family didn't own a car.  The bishop walked everywhere on his assignments.  The family walked to church meetings.  This is a family that fostered 38 children over the years, and had three of their own children.  Sister M. said they'd get the children out of bed in their pajamas, load the sleeping children into the trams and head for the chapel with the childrens' church clothing, which they put on when they arrived for the meetings.  

Well, you get the picture of the dedication of this family,.


The American visitor couldn't believe that a bishop in England, with all of his responsibilities, didn't have transportation.  She went home and told the people in her ward in Utah about the hardships of the English saints who had so far to go to meetings and told them about the bishop with no car.


A few months after the American woman's visit, the bishop's family opened a package that had been sent from the United States.  In the package was enough money for their family to purchase a car!  The members in Utah had gotten together to pool their resources to perform an act of true charity.


When we hear of the struggles people here in England have had over the years to get buildings to meet in, to attend their meetings, and to do their assignments, we realize how fortunate we are in Utah and how little is asked of us compared to the sacrifices required in places where the population of church members is smaller and resources few.  


Sister M. told me today that she remembers having three districts to visit teach with 15 sisters in each district.  She and her companion visited all of their sisters every month!


The Gospel Principles class in Sunday School today focused on the blessings of service.  I am grateful for all the people who are charitable in their day-to-day activities.  All the good being done in the world is not always reported in the news.  I venture to guess, there is still more good than bad, and I believe it will always be so because light has the power to vanquish darkness.


That old saying that everyone is quite familiar with is very true:  "God does notice us, and he watches over us.  But it is usually through another person that He meets our needs."

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A joke:  Elder Blain was bragging about his genealogy the other day to a Jewish friend.  He said, "I have traced my ancestry all the way back to the first King of England!  The Jewish friend said, "That is wonderful family history work.  I have traced mine all the way back to God."